


Forever

by UpsideAround



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Candlenights, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, Post-Canon, Sibling Bonding, somewhat canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 21:29:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13085745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UpsideAround/pseuds/UpsideAround
Summary: [1]Tradition: (noun). An activity or behavior that has been established for a long time, often with some emotional or cultural significance.[2]Tradition: (noun). Making fun of your neighbor's holiday lights every Candlenights with your twin, for the first time in a very long time.





	Forever

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a Candlenights gift for my friend Sammi (@Pilot-Doodles)! Based on the thing me and my sister do every year, where we rate holiday lights as if we were pretentious judges on a cooking show

“Okay, what about that one?” Lup said, pointing at a house that was elegantly outlined by thin white lights. There were a few strands of lights that reached out into the yard, and candles illuminated the windows.

“Simple. Nostalgic. It’s elegant, but it could use more color. Seven outta ten.”

Lup shrugged. “I’d agree.”

Taako gestured to the house across the street. “How do you feel about that one?” he said, grinning.

Lup turned around. “Oh, jesus.”

If the house behind them had no color, this house had the opposite problem. Bright blue and red lights were tangled in the trees in the yard, and icicle lights hung on the roof of the house. Knots of piercing green and blue lights were draped over the bushes that framed the doorway.

And the doorway. Oh god, the doorway.

The door was entirely covered with glittering gold lights, sending reflections dancing across the entire yard.

“Okay, count of three, we both say our rating,” Taako said, waving his hand at the house. “One, two, three—”

“Ten,” Lup said, hearing Taako’s “Four” at the exact same time.

She spun around to face her brother. “You’re giving that glory a four?”

Taako shrugged. “Sure, the colors are nice, but there’s no cohesive message or theme throughout. Points deducted there. And—” he gestured back at the house— “where the fuck are the roof lights? The yard is so bright and yet—” he waved his hand upwards— “It just goes dark. A for effort, but overall disappointing and just bright. Four out of ten.”

Lup doubled over, snickering. She pressed her hand to knee in an effort to stand up straight, but her laughter rocked her back down. She looked up and saw Taako’s straight face waver and split into a grin. He spun around, laughing.

Lup inhaled and straightened up. She rubbed her hands over her mouth, forcing it into a straight face. “Oh, but you’re forgetting the most important thing about Candlenights lights—competing with your neighbor. The point is to show off how many lights you physically own, and I think our dear friend over there just won that contest. Ten out of ten.”

Taako scoffed. “You can’t change the game we’re playing just because you think that house deserves a participation trophy.”

Lup huffed, her breath making a puff of fog in the cold winter air. “It’s not a participation trophy if you win, Taako.”

“Only counting the number of lights leaves no room for artistic development!”

Lup waved him off. “Okay, okay,” she said, fighting back a grin. “Let’s go check out those houses,” she said, pointing down the street to another set of houses that were brightly lit.

Lup started walking down the street, but Taako stayed planted in place.

“You can’t walk away from the truth! You think that house looks nice!” Taako shouted after her.

Lup spun around. “It’s admirable, yes, but I never said it looked nice.”

“That’s the same thing!”

Lup groaned and took a step forward. “I can admire the dedication to kicking a neighbor’s Candlenights ass without thinking it looks pretty.”

Taako grinned and folded his arms. “Just admit I’m right, and we’ll be on our way.”

“Oh, come on, you’re telling me you don’t wanna rate that house with the penis lights?”

“The house with the what now?” Taako said, starting to walk forward. “Wait, you can’t distract me with your word games. Admit I’m right.”

Lup sighed. “Come on,” she said, looping back around and tugging a protesting Taako down the road.

—

“You lied to me, this is a house with lights shaped like a penis, not penis lights.”

They stood in front of a house that only had one tall pole in the yard, lit up by yellow lights. The two bushes next to the pole also yellow lights tossed over them, forming a very phallic shape, possibly inadvertently.

Taako and Lup stood in front of it, craning their necks to look at the top of the thing.

“It’s still inherently funny,” Lup said.

“This house is definitely compensating for something,” Taako said. “Two outta ten, dude.”

“One outta ten,” Lup said. “The lights don’t even make it all the way up.”

Taako shuddered. “I can’t look at this monstrosity anymore, give me another house to rate.”

Lup turned around. Something caught her eye, and she laughed.

“Okay,” she said, nudging Taako. “What do you think of that one?” She pointed down the street at a house decorated only in blinking blue lights, save for the doorway, which was outlined by steady white lights.

“That’s the best house we’ve seen all night. Ten—no, twelve out ten.”

Lup’s eyes widened. “Twelve out of ten? Do tell.”

Taako shrugged. “The placement of the lights is accurate, and the dark blue is a nice contrast with the white. Do you disagree?”

“Entirely. The blinking is distracting, and although I agree about the contrast, a house needs at least three colors to be awarded a seven or higher. Six out of ten.”

Taako shook his head. “You’re crazy, Lulu.”

  
It was well past one in the morning by the time they started heading home.

It wasn’t long to walk back in the brisk winter air. They nodded at their favorite houses of the night, but some of the lights were already turning off. The neighborhood was darker now. Calmer.

They reached their house, and Taako opened the door carefully. They both slunk into the room, toes tapping carefully on the wooden floor.

Lup breathed a sigh of relief when the still, warm air hit her face. She tossed her scarf onto the entryway table and closed the door carefully behind her. The lock slotted into place with a gentle click.

Lup looked up and was greeted by a empty room, no longer entirely dark. A bright light was now shining from the next room over, illuminating the floor with long golden light.

Taako was already in the kitchen.

Lup snorted and walked into the kitchen, where Taako had started a kettle to heat on the stove. She pulled two mugs out of the cabinet and set them on the counter.

Taako was currently ducked into the pantry, pulling out items and clinking them onto the counter.

Whipped cream. Sugar. Salt. Sprinkles. Cocoa powder.

Lup smiled and pulled up two stools to the counter. She set the mugs closer to the stove before sitting down.

Taako straightened up. “Lup, can you—” Taako spun around, food supplies in hand, glanced at the mugs on the counter, and grinned. “Excellent. Now, let’s see if I can remember how to make that bomb-ass hot chocolate.”

“Since you refused to make it for me last July, I’m gonna go with no,” Lup said.

Taako scoffed and started spooning the cocoa powder into their mugs. “You can’t make Candlenights hot chocolate in July, doofus. No, this is the one-night-a-year special.”

Lup cleared her throat and straightened up in her seat. “Ladies and gentlemen, I return to you to broadcast Taako’s annual hot chocolate adventure. What will it be this year? Too much whipped cream? Not enough sugar? Or perhaps, this might be the year where he finally writes some goddamn recipes down somewhere?”

Taako rolled his eyes. “I already wrote it down, relax.” He patted his front pants pockets. “I’ve got it right—” he shoved his hands into the front pocket of his jacket. “Ah! I’ve got it right here.”

He pulled his hand out of his pocket, revealing nothing but an extended middle finger.

Lup laughed and rocked back on her stool.

“You know, you really shouldn’t be laughing at me if you’re not helping me with this,” Taako said, tossing in a spoon of sugar into each of their mugs.

“Have you put the salt in yet?” Lup asked, standing up on the edge of her stool.

“Nope.”

Lup reached over the kettle, grabbed the salt, and put a pinch in each of their mugs.

Lup jumped back down onto the stool. “There. I’ve helped.”

“Excellent. I’ll know who to blame if this hot chocolate is shitty,” Taako said, mixing the powder concoction in each of their mugs.

Lup waved him off. “Just pour the milk already. I’m dying over here.”

Taako picked up the kettle, which was now steaming. He poured the milk carefully into both mugs, stirring it as he went. Milk added, he stirred it a few more times and set the spoon down. He then picked up the whipped cream bottle and created a cone of whipped cream on the top, filling the top half inch of the mugs and stacking it at least an inch taller than the edge. Finally, he snatched up the sprinkles and shook vigorously over the top of the whipped cream.

Sprinkles bounced everywhere on the counter, but the hot chocolate looked pristine and sugary sweet. The bright sprinkles sat on top of the whipped cream, which was bobbing in the hot chocolate as Taako carried the two mugs to the other side of the counter.

He sat them down on the counter and slid one over to Lup.

“Drink up and tell me it’s phenomenal,” Taako said. “You owe me for all the Candlenights you missed.”

Lup tossed her hair over her shoulder and picked up her mug to take a sip.

The warm chocolate rushed into her mouth and she relaxed into the smile slowly creeping over her face. The warmth of the drink settled comfortably in her chest, defrosting her from the inside out.

“This is phenomenal.” Lup said. She lifted her mug to take another sip, but she stopped. She set her drink down carefully. “Even if I didn’t owe you for missing all those Candlenights,” Lup said, staring down at the sprinkles in her drink.

Taako scooted his stool closer to Lup, until their arms were resting gently together. Lup looked up as Taako lifted his mug and took a sip.

Lup stared back down at her hot chocolate. She watched the whipped cream swirl around the surface, letting her mind drift with it. A few sprinkles had fallen through the cream, leaving tiny holes in the surface. She watched as the whipped cream fizzled at the edges and dissolved into the dark chocolate, leaving the smallest bubbles behind.

It had been too long since she and Taako had shared a Candlenights together.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a barely audible whisper before swallowing another gulp of hot chocolate.

She felt Taako lean closer. His arm was warm against hers. Lup clung to her mug and its warmth, letting her vision blur at the edges.

Taako lifted his mug. “To shitty holiday lights and making fun of them.”

Lup smiled and looked up. She lifted her drink as well. “Every Candlenights until this neighborhood steps its game up.” She clinked her mug against Taako’s.

Taako scoffed. “That’s never gonna happen, Lulu.”

Lup found a grin spreading across her face. “My point exactly. We’ll have material forever.”

“Oh, natch,” Taako said. “As long as we’re around to make fun of this neighborhood.”

Lup released her grip on her mug and stuck out a fist. “Hell yeah,” she said.

Taako stared at it for a moment, then took a swipe of whipped cream out of his mug and stuck it on the top of Lup’s hand.

Lup shrugged and quickly licked it off.

“Gross.”

“You’re the one who put it on my hand,” Lup said incredulously. “What am I supposed to do, leave it there?”

Taako just threw his head back and laughed.

Lup scoffed. “If you didn’t want me to eat that, you shoulda fist-bumped me like a normal person.”

“Pobody’s nerfect,” Taako said, shrugging.

Lup hid her grin in her hot chocolate.

—

Crawling into bed next to Barry that night, Lup shut her eyes and relaxed easily into a trance.

Even though this Candlenights was over, she could rest easy, knowing there was another on its way. Another night to sneak out after Barry was asleep, another night to admire and make fun of holiday lights, another night to toss up some baller hot chocolate and banter.

Lup wouldn’t miss another Candlenights. She wouldn’t let that happen, ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> All comments are so appreciated! I’m open to feedback, anything you have to say :)


End file.
